Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton ─ Interim Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Memorandum of Understanding
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Children’s Museum Houston
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of a memorandum of understanding with the Children’s Museum Houston for the Welcome Baby project effective January 23, 2025 through January 22, 2026.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Welcome Baby program, launched by the Children’s Museum Houston in 2017, aims to foster early childhood development and school readiness for infants aged 2-9 months through a trusted-person model. This model utilizes individuals who have established relationships with families to distribute resource bags, which have proven to significantly enhance parental engagement in reading and literacy development. Since its launch, the program has successfully distributed over 42,000 resource bags, resulting in its expanded implementation. Harris County Public Health (HCPH) intends to integrate the Welcome Baby program into its existing maternal and child health initiatives, drawing on established programs such as WIC, Maternal and Child Health, and Healthy Start. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizes the partnership between Children’s Museum Houston and HCPH, outlining roles, responsibilities, and protocols to ensure the successful achievement of shared objectives over the next 12 months.
Expected Impact:
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) will leverage its existing programs, including WIC, Maternal and Child Health, and Healthy Start, to expand access to the Welcome Baby program for parents of infants. This strategic integration will ensure that a broad population of families can benefit from the program’s resources. The collaboration will equip parents with evidence-based tools and strategies to promote their infant’s brain development, literacy, and emotional bonding, ultimately fostering improved school readiness and strengthening parent-child relationships. This initiative is in alignment with Harris County’s broader objectives to enhance maternal and child health outcomes and reduce educational disparities through early intervention. By building on the foundation of established programs, this partnership maximizes operational efficiency and helps to reduce long-term costs by supporting families during crucial stages of early development.
Alternative Options:
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
County Strategic Plan Objective: P: Improve children’s health outcomes.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): P3: Enhance maternal and child health and development services.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
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Anticipated Court Date: 1/23/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 1/23/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Dr. Ericka Brown, Local Health Authority and Director of Community Health and Wellness, Public Health Services
Attachments (if applicable): Memorandum of Understanding